THE CONGRESS: Warning for the Chairmen

In the record books, the score of last
week's competition among House Democrats will have to read Aging
Conservatives 4, Youngish Reformers 0. The oldsters in the party caucus
defeated several moves: to 1) set an age limit of 70 for committee
chairmen; 2) restrict them to eight years of service; 3) elect a
Northern liberal instead of a Southern conservative to the Ways and
Means Committee; 4) oust one incumbent chairman. Yet the ferment itself
indicated the changing tone in the tradition-minded House of
Representatives; the seniority system is no longer...